Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
4-4,0-0MAC
Belmont
2-4,0-0OVC
Volleyball Cruises Past Belmont, 3-0
9/11/2021 2:41:00 PM | Volleyball
Samantha Basham led the Eagles with a season-high 14 kills
CHICAGO, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team posted a victory over Belmont University in straight sets (25-20, 25-18, 25-19) today, Sept. 11, in the finale of the UIC Invitational.
The out-of-conference win improved Eastern Michigan's overall record to 4-4 on the season.
The Eagles offense was paced by sophomore Samantha Basham (Granville, Ohio-Newark Catholic), who finished with 14 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .600 (14-4-20), and by redshirt sophomore Raeven Chase (Toronto, Ontario, Canada-Michael Power St. Joseph Catholic), who had 11 while hitting .786 (11-0-14). EMU got 12 digs from sophomore Kamryn Stilwell (Parma, Ohio-Padua Franciscan) along with five blocks from both freshman Madeline Timmerman (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Central) and sophomore Jayden Otto (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge) to lead them defensively.
Game Notes
» Stilwell had a match-high three aces in the win, which is a career high.
» Eastern Michigan never trailed on the way to winning the second set 25-18.
» Eastern Michigan attackers were helped by a match-high 41 assists from Otto. The 41 assists is tied for fifth in program history for a three-set match in the modern statistical era (since 2008).
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Eagles grabbed control of the set-one lead at 2-1 and held the lead the rest of the way to win 25-20. Eastern Michigan led by as many as eight points at 18-10 before closing out the set, totaling 15 kills in the set. Eastern Michigan also supplemented its offense with three aces in the opening set.
SET 2 | Eastern Michigan continued to roll after a set-one win by securing a 25-18 victory in set number two. The Eagles took a 1-0 lead and never looked back in the set to secure the victory. Eastern Michigan opened up as much as a seven point lead at 23-16 before finishing off the set, totaling 16 kills while only registering two attack errors in the process. The Eagles hit .438 over the course of the set.
SET 3 | Eastern Michigan then sealed the sweep with a victory in set number three. The Eagles took the set 25-19 propelled by a solid showing on the attacking side. Eastern Michigan put together a .316 attack percentage with 17 kills in the set win. The Eagles ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point in the set to finish out the stanza. Eastern Michigan's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking five Belmont attacks in the stanza.
Historical Notes
» The match was the first meeting between the Eagles and the Bruins in program history.
» Eastern Michigan boasted a season-high .352 hitting percentage (48-11-105).
» The 48 total kills is the highest for a three-set match this season.
» EMU's 50 total digs is a season-high for a three-set match.
Up Next
» Eastern Michigan will participate in the Michigan Challenge, Sept. 17-18. The Eagles open the tournament against the University of Michigan Friday, Sept. 17, at noon.
